Choose your concentration
- Choose whether you will be pursuing the Child and Family Practice; School Social Work or Gerontology concentration. If you are applying to the School Social Work concentration, you must take the Basic Skills Test. These test scores are required to complete your application for the School Social Work concentration.
Resume
- Your resume should include your educational and relevant employment history, social work-related activities and volunteer involvement, publications by you, and any professional organizational affiliation (i.e. National Association of Social Workers, etc.).
Essay
- The essay should demonstrate an applicants interest in obtaining their master's degree and working in the social work field. Applicants should draw from their academic, personal and professional experiences to respond to the essay questions. The essay should be 5-10 pages in length and follow the American Psychological Association (APA) format.
- The questions that need to be addressed are:
  - Why are you interested in pursuing an MSW? What led you to choose ISU’s program? What are your intended career goals? How do your intended career goals and interests fit with either the Child and Family Practice or School Social Work concentration?
  - Explain your understanding of cultural competence? What challenges have you experienced and what have you done to address them? What actions have you taken to promote equality and inclusion?
  - Please identify a current social justice issue. As a social worker, what steps would you take to address this issue? What actions have you taken in your life to challenge any social injustice?
  - What is your history of academic and/or professional success? If you’ve had challenges academically, how have you addressed those challenges? What is your plan to be academically successful in graduate school?
  - What volunteer experiences and/or professional development activities have you participated in? How have these activities prepared you for the profession?
  - What is your plan to pay for graduate school and meet your living expenses? What changes do you plan to make in your daily schedule to accommodate the time demands of graduate school.
Transcripts
- The transcripts should list your liberal arts coursework, which must include at least:
- 15 hours in Behavioral/Social Sciences. Examples: Anthropology, Biomedical History, Communications, Economics, Environmental Studies, Ethnic Studies, Geography, History, International Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, Urban Planning, and Women's Studies.
- 9-10 hours in Natural Sciences. MUST include a human biology class and statistics class. Other examples: Astronomy, Atmospheric Sciences, Biological Structure, Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Engineering, Fisheries, Forest Resources, Genetics, Geology, Mathematics, Microbiology, Nutritional Sciences, Oceanography, Physics, Speech and Hearing Sciences, Statistics and Zoology.
- 14-15 hours in Humanities. Examples: Architecture, Art, Art History, Classics, Comparative Literature, Dance, Drama, English, Landscape Architecture, Linguistics, Music, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Speech Communication, all foreign languages and literature.
- For each course, you will need the name of the course, the name of the college, grade earned, and the number of semester hours earned.

2. Three Letters of Recommendation

Applicants are required to submit three letters of recommendation to apply to Illinois State University's School of Social Work. Recommendations should be written by individuals who are familiar with your academic achievement, potential, and relevant professional and/or volunteer experience in the field of social work or other human service related field.

Recommendations must be typed on letterhead when available. Then it may be emailed by the recommender to the School of Social Work, faxed to Attn: MSW Admissions, or mailed to the School (address to the right top of this page) in a sealed envelope with the signature across the seal.

BSW Applicant: you must provide one academic reference, one reference from a field instructor and one reference from professional paid or volunteer experience.

All Other Applicants: You must provide one reference from a social service/human service supervisor, one reference from a professional colleague or former supervisor and one reference from paid or volunteer experience in social service/human services (especially for candidates who are changing careers).

Please provide the following guidelines to your recommender for completion of a letter of recommendation on behalf of an applicant:

How long and in what capacity have you known the applicant?
What is your evaluation of the applicant's capabilities and suitability for graduate education?
What is your evaluation of the applicant's capabilities and suitability for subsequent practice in the field of social work (i.e. applicant's level of competence in his/her ability to work with others, level of comfort with social and cultural differences, respect for differences, and commitment to social and economic equity)?
How would you assess the applicant's potential for professional growth and development, capacity for self-awareness, and sensitivity to the needs and feelings of others?
Identify leadership ability, work performance (academic or professional) and personal characteristics that you believe could either help or hinder the applicant's development as an effective social worker.
Other comments

Once we have received all of the required supplemental materials, we will send you a confirmation email. If you have any questions about the status of your application, please feel free to email the Director of Recruitment and Admissions or call (309) 438-5005.

For more information

Mail or Fax Letters of Recommendation to:

Attn: MSW Admissions
School of Social Work
Illinois State University
Campus Box 4650
Normal, Illinois 61790-4650

Fax: 309-438-5880

Please contact the